Ink, ink jet recording method, ink cartridge, and ink jet recording apparatus

ABSTRACT

An ink contains at least a pigment, wherein the pigment is C.I. Pigment Red 282, and a primary particle diameter D (nm) of the pigment and a 50%-cumulative diameter D50 (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment satisfy a relation of D×0.95≦D50≦150, and a 90%-cumulative diameter D90 (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment and the 50%-cumulative diameter D50 (nm) satisfy a relation of 1.5≦D90/D50≦2.5.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an ink containing C.I. Pigment Red 282, a quinacridone pigment; and an ink jet recording method, an ink cartridge, and an ink jet recording apparatus employing the ink.

2. Description of the Related Art

For recording of full-color images, generally are used a combination of four inks of subtractive three primary colors (yellow, magenta, and cyan) and a black color. To improve fastness properties of the image recorded by an ink jet recording method, inks (pigment inks) containing a pigment are widely used as the coloring material.

Lately, the quality of the images obtained by ink jet recording method has been highly improved, and is demanded to be nearly at the same level as the image obtained by silver-halide photography. For example, the image recorded with a pigment ink on a highly glossy recording medium (a glossy paper) tends to lower the glossiness. The glossiness of the recorded image is demanded not to be lowered with the color reproduction range kept broader.

In particular, the human visual sensation is very sensitive to the image in a red color region recorded with a magenta ink. Many techniques are disclosed for improving the color development of the image recorded with a magenta ink. Pigments used for the ink jet magenta ink are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-120956 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-219166. For example, there are disclosed a solid solution of quinacridone pigments different in physical properties such as the color hue, weather fastness, and heat resistance other than the pigments having a simple chemical structure typified by C.I. Pigment Red 122.

Further for improving the color development of the recorded image, without limitation to the magenta inks, the particle size of the pigment and ratio of the primary particle size to the secondary particle size are defined (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-175880 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-002141).

As described above, no conventional magenta ink is capable of reproducing a color in the red region in the same quality as in silver-halide photography with high ink-storage stability without decrease of the glossiness.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention intends to provide an ink which has high storage stability and is capable of recording a glossy image on a glossy paper with high color reproducibility in the red color region in a broader color reproduction range. The present invention intends to provide also an ink jet recording method, an ink cartridge, and an ink jet recording apparatus for recording stably a glossy image with color reproducibility in a red color region at the same high level as in the silver-halide photography.

The present invention is directed to an ink containing a pigment, wherein the pigment is C.I. Pigment Red 282, and a primary particle diameter D (nm) of the pigment and a 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment satisfy a relation of D×0.95≦D₅₀≦150, and a 90%-cumulative diameter D₉₀ (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment and the 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) satisfy a relation of 1.5≦D₉₀/D₅₀≦2.5.

According to the present invention, there is provided an ink which has high storage stability and is capable of recording a glossy image on a glossy paper with high color reproducibility in a red color region in a broader color reproduction range. Further, according to the present invention, there are provided an ink jet recording method, an ink cartridge, and an ink jet recording apparatus for recording stably a glossy image with color reproducibility in a red color region at the same high level as in the silver-halide photography.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail.

The inventors of the present invention studied use of quinacridone pigments, widely used as a coloring material in ink jet recording, for increasing the chroma and glossiness of the image recorded with a magenta ink. Thereby, it was found that use of C.I. Pigment Red 282 as the pigment enables improvement of the chroma and glossiness of the formed image. However, C.I. Pigment Red 282 can not readily be kept stable in a dispersion state in comparison with usual magenta pigments.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention studied the optimum dispersion conditions for keeping stable the ink containing the above pigment for a long term, that is, for improving the storage stability of the ink. Thereby the inventors of the present invention have found that the ink storage stability can be remarkably improved and the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image can be improved under the two conditions below, and have completed the present invention.

One of the conditions for achieving the above effects with an ink containing C.I. Pigment 282 (hereinafter simply referred to as a pigment, occasionally) is that the average diameter of the pigment particles (secondary particles) in a state existing in the ink is made smaller, and the primary particles of the pigment is kept undamaged as much as possible. Specifically, in the ink containing C.I. Pigment 282, the primary particle diameter D (nm) of the pigment and the 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) of the particle diameter distribution should satisfy the relation of D×0.95≦D₅₀≦150.

The other one of the conditions for achieving the above effects is that the particle diameter distribution of the C.I. Pigment 282 in the ink is made narrower or made uniform as much as possible. Specifically, the ratio of the 90%-cumulative diameter D₉₀ (nm) to 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment should satisfy the relation of 1.5≦D₉₀/D₅₀≦2.5.

In the present invention, the term “average particle diameter” refers to the average of the diameters of the pigment particles (secondary particles) in the state existing in the ink. The term “primary particle diameter” in the present invention refers to a particle diameter of the minimum unit of the pigment particles. Therefore, the particle diameter distribution of the pigment in the present invention refers to the particle diameter distribution of the pigment in a state existing in the ink. Incidentally, the 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment and the 90%-cumulative diameter D₉₀ (nm) thereof are occasionally referred to simply as D₅₀, and D₉₀ respectively. In a state in the ink, the pigment particle of the small particle diameter can be formed from one primary particle. In this case the primary particle diameter and the secondary particle diameter are the same.

Under the above two conditions, the pigment is dispersed stably in the ink to improve the storage stability of the ink, and the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image are improved. The inventors of the present invention consider the reason as below.

Firstly the reason is described below why the above relation between the average particle diameter of the pigment and the primary particle diameter of the pigment affects greatly the storage stability of the pigment and the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image. Generally, decrease of the average particle diameter of the pigment is known to be effective for improving the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image. Actually the inventors of the present invention confirmed that the decrease of the average particle diameter D₅₀ decreases the light scattering by the image recorded on a recording medium and improves the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image.

However, the inventors of the present invention found that the smaller average particle diameter of the pigment can not necessarily improve the storage stability of the ink significantly. The inventors investigated the reason for this. The impact force or shearing force applied to the pigment for pulverization will distort the crystal structure of the pigment to make the pigment particles instable to facilitate particle aggregation and to impair the long-term storage stability of the ink. On the other hand, when the average particle diameter of the pigment is extremely large in comparison with the primary particle diameter of the pigment, light scattering in the recorded image is influential to impair the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image.

From the above reason, for satisfying the storage stability of the ink containing C.I. Pigment Red 282 and for improving the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image, the primary particle diameter D (nm) of the pigment and the 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) of the particle diameter distribution should satisfy the relation of D×0.95≦D₅₀≦150. At D₅₀ more than 150, the desired chroma and glossiness of the recorded image are not obtained, whereas at D₅₀ less than D×0.95, the storage stability of the ink are not achievable.

Next, the relation of the particle diameter distribution of the pigment (C.I. Pigment 282) with the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image will be described. Based on the above study, the inventors of the present invention investigated on the method for dispersing the pigment to satisfy the relation between the primary particle diameter D (nm) and the aforementioned 50%-cumulative particle diameter of the pigment: D×0.95≦D₅₀≦150. In the course of the investigation, it was found that, the chroma and glossiness of the pigment can vary even when the relation between the primary particle diameter and D₅₀ of the pigment is not varied. Specifically, even with the same relation between the primary particle diameter and the D₅₀ of the pigment, the pigment having a narrower particle diameter distribution improves the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image. As the result of the investigation thereon, the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image depend greatly on the surface state of the pigment layer formed on the recording medium. For higher chroma and higher glossiness of the image, the pigment layer should be made flatter and smoother. The inventors of the present invention found that a pigment having a narrower particle size distribution can deposit in a higher density to form a flat pigment layer. Thereby the pigments having the same average particle diameter can become different in the smoothness of the pigment layer depending on the particle diameter distribution to cause difference in the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image.

Further, in addition to the above requirement, for satisfying the storage stability of the ink containing C.I. Pigment Red 282 as the pigment and for improving the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image, the ratio of the 90%-cumulative diameter D₉₀ (nm) to 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment should satisfy at least the relation of D₉₀/D₅₀≦2.5. According to the findings of the inventors of the present invention, the lower the ratio of D₉₀/D₅₀, the more are the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image improved. However, the D₉₀/D₅₀ ratio less than 1.5 is not preferred in view of the cost and number of the preparation steps of the pigment dispersion liquid. On the other hand, the pigment having the ratio of D₉₀/D₅₀ more than 2.5 is not preferred since such a pigment does not give the desired chroma and glossiness of the recorded image. In consideration of the above matters, the ink of the present invention should satisfy the relation of 1.5≦D₉₀/D₅₀≦2.5, more preferably of 1.5≦D₉₀/D₅₀≦2.0.

In short, for satisfactory ink storage stability of the ink, for the higher glossiness of an image recorded on a glossy paper, and for a broader color reproduction range in the red region, the pigment in the ink should have an optimum relation between the primary particle diameter and the dispersed particle diameter and should have a narrow particle-diameter distribution represented by the ratio of D₉₀/D₅₀. Specifically, in the ink containing C.I. Pigment 282, the primary particle diameter D (nm) of the pigment and the 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) of the particle diameter distribution should satisfy the relation of D×0.95≦D₅₀≦150, and the ratio of the 90%-cumulative diameter D₉₀ (nm) to the 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment should satisfy the relation of 1.5≦D₉₀/D₅₀≦2.5.

The primary particle diameter D (nm) in the present invention is determined as described below. A pigment-dispersion liquid or an ink is diluted suitably with pure water, and the diameters of 100 or more of the minimum unit particles constituting the pigment particles are measured for the primary particle diameter by transmission electron microscopy or scanning electron microscopy, with image processing if necessary, and the measure diameters are averaged. More specifically, a primary particle diameter of one primary particle is determined by measuring a short axis diameter B (nm) and a long axis diameter L (nm), and (B+L)/2 is taken as the diameter of the primary particle. The individual primary particle diameters of 100 or more particles are measured and are averaged to obtain the average primary particle diameter. Incidentally, when one pigment particle is constituted of one primary particle, the diameter of this pigment particle is considered to be equal to the diameter of the primary particle. In the Examples described later, the primary particle diameter is measured by Hitachi ultra-high-performance scanning electron microscope SU-70 (Hitachi High Technologies Co.) as the scanning electron microscope. In the present invention, the 50%-cumulative diameter (nm) and 90%-cumulative diameter (nm) in the pigment particle diameter distribution correspond respectively to the average particle diameter based on the volume, namely the volume-average particle diameter. The diameters of D₅₀ and D₉₀ can be measured, for example, by a dynamic light-scattering type of particle distribution tester, but is not limited thereto. In Examples described later, D₅₀ and D₉₀ were measured by Nano-Track UPA150EX (manufactured by Nikkiso Co.) as the dynamic light-scattering type of particle distribution tester.

The difference of the present invention having essentially the above constitution from prior techniques is described below. As mentioned in Description of the Related Art, many disclosures have been made on pigment inks using a quinacridone pigment or a solid-solution thereof (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-120956 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-219166). However, none of the disclosures describes a pigment dispersion liquid using C.I. Pigment 282 as in the present invention. Or none of them describes the relation between the average particle diameter in the pigment dispersion liquid and the primary particle diameter of the pigment, or the relation between the 90%-cumulative particle diameter and the 50%-cumulative particle diameter of the dispersed particles.

On the other hand, as described in above-cited Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-175880 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-002141, the control of the particle diameter distribution has been investigated, regardless of the kinds of the pigments, such as the average particle diameter, the particle diameter distribution, and the ratio of the average primary particle diameter to the average secondary particle diameter.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-175880 defines the constituting ratio of particles in a limited particle diameter range, but does not describe the relation between the primary particle diameter and the dispersed particle diameter. The primary particle diameter herein refers to a diameter of the minimum unit of the particle distinguished clearly from other particles. The smaller diameter of the particle than the primary particle diameter is caused by destruction of the pigment crystal. This impairs the dispersion stability of the pigment. For the dispersion stability, the dispersed particle diameter should be balanced with the primary particle diameter of the pigment. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-002141 cited above describes the ratio of the average primary particle diameter to the average secondary particle diameter. The secondary particles are formed by aggregation of the primary particles existing in the dispersion liquid. The particle size testers measure the diameters of the secondary particles. However, according to the investigation by the inventors of the present invention, with the average primary particle diameter controlled to be 50 nm or less, the interaction among the primary particles becomes stronger to make difficult the dispersion to decrease the dispersion stability of the pigment dispersion.

<Ink>

The constituents of the ink of the present invention are described below in detail.

(Pigment)

The pigment employed in the present invention is C.I. Pigment Red 282. The primary particle diameter D (nm) ranges preferably from 50 nm or more to 130 nm or less. The primary particle diameter D of less than 50 nm is not preferred since the particle of a smaller diameter can impair the lightfastness of the pigment to lower the lightfastness of the recorded image, or requires a larger amount of the polymer for keeping the dispersion stability. The polymer in a large amount in the ink will impair the smoothness of the recorded image and give insufficient chroma and glossiness of the recorded image. On the other hand, the primary particle diameter D more than 130 nm is not preferred since the excessively larger average particle diameter of the pigment can impair the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image.

The content (mass %) of the pigment in the ink is preferably in the range from 0.1 mass % or more to 10.0 mass % or less, more preferably from 0.5 mass % or more to 5.0 mass % or less with respect to the total mass of the ink. Within the above range of the content of the pigment, both the image density of the recorded image and the ink ejection stability in the ink jet recording can be kept at higher levels.

(Polymer)

The ink of the present invention contains preferably a polymer, and can be prepared with a pigment dispersion liquid containing the specified pigment and a polymer. In the present invention, to solve the technical problems, in particular, in consideration of scratch resistance of the image recorded on a glossy paper, the pigment is dispersed preferably in a satisfactory state by a polymer. In the present invention, “a pigment dispersed by a polymer” includes not only polymer-dispersion type pigments which have a polymer adsorbed on the surface of the pigment particles but also the pigments mentioned below. Specifically, the pigments include polymer-bonding type self-dispersible pigments having an organic radical (polymer) having a polymer structure bonded chemically to the pigment surface, and microcapsule type pigments coated by an organic high polymer. As the results of the investigation by the inventors of the present invention, the polymer-dispersed pigments are the most suitable, and polymer-bonding type self-dispersible pigments are also preferred. This is because the polymer bonded chemically to the surface of the pigment particle stabilizes the dispersion.

The polymer for dispersing the pigment is formed by polymerization of a material containing a monomer like the ones mentioned below. The monomer for the polymer includes styrene, and α-methylstyrene; hydrophobic monomers having a carboxy group such as n-butyl acrylate, n-hexyl acrylate, and benzyl methacrylate; hydrophilic monomers having a carboxyl group such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, ethacrylic acid, propylacrylic acid, isopropylacrylic acid, itaconic acid, and fumaric acid; hydrophilic monomers having a sulfonic acid group such as styrene-sulfonic acid, sulfonic acid-2-propylacrylamide, ethyl acrylic acid-2-suofonate, ethyl methacrylic acid-2-sulfonate, butylacrylamide-sulfonic acid; and hydrophilic monomers having a phosphonic acid group such as ethyl methacrylic acid-2-phosphonate, and ethyl acrylic acid-2-phosphonate.

The specified pigment in the present invention cannot readily be kept stably in a dispersion state in comparison with usual pigments. Therefore, in the present invention, for dispersing the pigment, a polymer formed by polymerization of a material containing at least an acrylic type monomer, an acrylic polymer, is used which is resistant to hydrolysis and capable of improving the dispersion stability. Further, a polymer is preferred which is formed by polymerization of a material containing a nonionic group such as an ethylene oxide group or a propylene oxide group or a mixture thereof, namely a polymer having a nonionic unit in the structure. In recording with the ink containing the pigment dispersed with the aid of the polymer, the aggregation of the pigment can be retarded effectively in comparison with the ink pigment dispersed by the polymer having no nonionic unit, and the glossiness of the recorded image can be improved remarkably.

In the present invention, for improving further the glossiness of the recorded image, the polymer has an acid value in the range preferably from 50 mgKOH/g or more to 300 mgKOH/g or less. Within the above range of the acid value, the surface of the recorded image is formed flatter and smoother to improve the glossiness of the image. The polymer having the acid value of less than 50 mgKOH/g can lower the dispersion stability of the pigment owing to electrostatic repulsion to increase the ink viscosity on recording of the image, resulting in a rough surface of the recorded image to lower the lower chroma and glossiness of the image. On the other hand, the polymer having the acid value of more than 300 mgKOH/g can be less adsorbable to the pigment particle surface to cause penetration of the desorbed polymer into the recording medium to result in decrease of the polymer on the surface of the recorded image to decrease the glossiness. The polymer has a weight-average molecular weight preferably in the range from 1,000 or more to 30,000 or less, more preferably from 3,000 or more to 15,000 or less.

The content of the pigment in the ink is preferably in the range of 0.30 times or more to 10.0 times or less the polymer content by the mass. That is, (pigment content)/(polymer content)=0.30 or more to 10.0 or less (by mass ratio). Herein, the contents of the polymer and the pigment are based on the total mass of the ink. Within the above mass ratio ranging from 0.30 times or more to 10.0 times or less, the dispersion state of the pigment can be kept stable. At the above mass ratio less than 0.30 times, the amount of the polymer is excessively large relative to the amount of the pigment, which tends to cause insufficiency in the chroma and glossiness of the recorded image. On the other hand, at the above mass ratio more than 10.0 times, the amount of the polymer is insufficient relative to the amount of the pigment, which tends to make the dispersion nonuniform in the production of the pigment dispersion to make difficult the production of the pigment dispersion and make insufficient the ink storage stability. In the present invention, the mass ratio is particularly preferably 2.0 times or more to improve remarkably the glossiness of the recorded image.

(Aqueous Medium)

The ink of the present invention contains preferably an aqueous medium constituted of a mixed solvent of water and a water-soluble organic solvent. The water is preferably a deionized water like ion-exchanged water or pure water. The content (mass %) of the water in the ink is preferably in the range from 50.0 mass % or more to 95 mass % or less with respect to the total mass of the ink.

The content (mass %) of the water-soluble organic solvent in the ink ranges preferably from 3.0 mass % or more to 50.0 mass % or less with respect to the total mass of the ink. One or more water-soluble organic solvents are used. The water-soluble organic solvent includes glycol ethers such as diethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl)ether, and triethylene glycol monoethyl (or butyl)ether; alkanols of 1-4 carbons such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, sec-butanol, isobutanol, and t-butanol; carboxamides such as N,N-dimethylformamide, and N,N-dimethylacetamide; ketones and ketoalcohols such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and 2-methyl-2-hydroxypentan-4-one; cyclic ethers such as tetrahydrofuran, and dioxane; glycols such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and butylene glycol; polyethylene glycols having an average molecular weight ranging from 200 to 2,000, specifically a molecular weight of 200, 400, 600, 1000, and 2000; acetylene glycol derivatives; polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, 1,3-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, and 1,2,6-hexane triol; heterocyclic compounds such as 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, and N-methylmorpholine; and sulfur-containing compounds such as thiodiglycol, and dimethylsulfoxide.

(Other Components)

The ink may contain, in addition to the above components, a moisture-retaining compound such as urea, a urea derivative, trimethylolpropane and trimethylolethane, which are solid at normal temperature. The content (mass %) of such a compound ranges preferably from 0.1 mass % or more to 20.0 mass % or less, more preferably from 3.0 mass % or more to 10.0 mass % or less with respect to the total mass of the ink.

Further the ink may contain, in addition to the above components, a miscellaneous additive such as a surfactant, a pH-controller, a rust-preventing agent, an antiseptic agent, an anti-fungus agent, an antioxidant, and a reduction-preventing agent.

<Ink Jet Recording Method, Ink Cartridge, and Ink Jet Recording Apparatus>

The ink jet recording method records an image on a recording medium by ejection of the ink described above through a recording head of an ink jet system. The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is equipped with an ink storage portion for storing the ink, and a recording head for ejection of the ink. The ink mentioned above of the present invention is stored in the ink storage portion. The ink of the present invention is effective in a recording head or an ink jet recording apparatus of bubble-Jet® type of the ink jet system. A conventional ink jet recording method and a conventional ink jet recording apparatus may be employed, provided that the ink of the present invention is used. In the present invention, the “recording” includes embodiments of recording with the ink of the present invention on a recording medium like a glossy paper or a plain paper, and printing with the ink of the present invention on a non-liquid-absorbent medium like a glass plate, a plastic sheet, or a film.

The ink cartridge of the present invention has an ink storage portion for storing the above-mentioned ink of the present invention. In a construction of the ink cartridge, the ink storage portion is constituted of an ink storing chamber for storing a liquid ink, and may be equipped with a room for storing a negative pressure-generating member for retaining the ink therein by applying a negative pressure if necessary. Otherwise, the ink cartridge may have an ink storage portion constituted of an ink storage portion capable of storing the entire ink by the negative-pressure-generating member without the ink storing room. Further, the ink cartridge may be constituted of an ink storage portion and a recording head.

<Production of Pigment Dispersion Liquid>

The process for producing the pigment dispersion liquid is described for producing the ink of the present invention. The ink containing the specified pigment having the characteristic particle diameter defined in the present invention can be produced readily by use of the pigment dispersion liquid produced by the production process described below.

The pigment dispersion liquid can be produced by a dispersion apparatus, by suitably controlling the dispersion conditions such as the dispersion time, the peripheral speed, the kind of the medium, and the particle diameter. The dispersion apparatus includes roll mills, bead mills, paint shakers, sand mills, agitator mills, Nanomizer®, homogenizers, micro-fluidizers, ultimizers, and ultrasonic dispersing machines.

As the results of the investigation, the inventors of the present invention have found that, for obtaining the ratio of D₉₀/D₅₀ in the range defined in the present invention, application of a sufficient shearing force to the dispersed pigment is effective in the step of a preliminary dispersion of the pigment. Specifically, the pigment dispersion liquid is prepared preferably through the first to third steps described below.

(First Step)

An emulsion composition containing a polymer, a neutralizing agent, an organic solvent, and water, and the pigment are mixed to obtain a mixture containing non-volatile component at a content ranging from 30 mass % to 50 mass %, and having a viscosity ranging from 50 mPa·s to 1,000 mPa·s at 25° C.

(Second Step)

A preliminary dispersion liquid is prepared which has a viscosity ranging from 50 mPa·s to 500 mPa·s at 25° C. In this step the mixture obtained in the first step is treated by a media less dispersing machine like a high-pressure homogenizer with a net integrated power in the range from 0.50 kWh/kg to 10.00 kWh/kg of the mixture.

(Third Step)

The preliminary dispersion liquid prepared in the above second Step is treated for dispersion.

EXAMPLES

The present invention is descried below in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples without limiting the invention within the gist of the present invention. In the descriptions below, the terms “part” and “%” are based on mass, unless otherwise mentioned.

The viscosity is measured by a B-type viscometer (Toki Sangyo Co.) at 25° C. The primary particle diameter D (nm) is an average of the diameters of 100 or more primary particles measured by the method below. The pigment dispersion liquid is diluted with pure water. The diluted dispersion liquid is observed with a Hitachi ultra-high-performance scanning electron microscope SU-70 (Hitachi High Technologies Co.), and the pigment particles of the minimum unit size are image-processed and observed for 100 or more particles. The 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) and the 90%-cumulative diameter D₉₀ (nm) in the pigment particle diameter distribution is measured by Nano-Track UPA150EX (Nikkiso Co.) under the measurement conditions: solvent, water; solvent refractive index, 1.333; solvent viscosity, 1.002 (20° C.) and 0.7971 (30° C.); particle transmissivity, transmissive; particle refractive index, 1.51; particle shape, nonspherical. The C.I. Pigment Red 282 is Ciba IRGAZIN MAGENTA 2012 (Ciba Co.).

<Production of Pigment Dispersion Liquid>

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1)

A portion of 10 parts (solid matter) of C.I. Pigment Red 282 was ground and treated with an organic solvent in a conventional manner to obtain Pigment A having a primary particle diameter D of 110 nm. As the polymer (dispersant), Polymer A was prepared by synthesis from 50 parts of styrene, 39 parts of n-butyl acrylate, and 30 parts of methacrylic acid in a conventional manner. The resulting polymer had an acid value of 195 mgKOH/g, and was a random polymer having a weight-average molecular weight of 9,000. The polymer was neutralized with an equivalent amount of an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution to obtain Polymer A. Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 was obtained by use of the above Pigment A and Polymer A through the first to third steps below. Incidentally, First to Third Steps mentioned later in the production of other pigment dispersion liquids refer to the above first to third steps. The production conditions and the properties of the resulting pigment dispersion liquid shown in Table 1.

(First Step)

180 parts of Pigment A, 90 parts of Polymer A, and 330 parts of deionized water were mixed by a Homomixer (manufactured by Primix Co.) to obtain a slurry (mixture) having a viscosity of 200 mPa·s.

(Second Step)

The slurry obtained in the above First Step was stirred by a circulation type of homogenizer (Clearmix (M. Tech Co.): referred to as CLM in Tables) for one hour to obtain a preliminary dispersion liquid. The net integral power applied to the slurry was 0.75 kWh/kg. The viscosity of the resulting preliminary dispersion liquid was 1.00 mPa·s

(Third Step)

The preliminary dispersion liquid obtained in the above Second Step was dispersed by a circulation type of bead mill (referred to simply as BM in Tables) under the conditions of the packing ratio of 85% of zirconia beads of 0.1 mm-diameter, and a peripheral velocity of 8 m/s for 115 minutes to obtain Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1. The bead mill employed was MiniCer (Ashizawa Fine Tech Co.). The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 112 nm, D₉₀ of 194 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.7 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 2)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 2 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in Third Step, the diameter of the zirconia beads was changed to 0.2 mm, and the dispersion time was changed to 100 minutes. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 2 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 148 nm, D₉₀ of 220 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.5 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 3)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 3 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in Third Step, the diameter of the zirconia beads was changed to 0.05 mm, and the dispersion time was changed to 110 minutes. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 3 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 110 nm, D₉₀ of 273 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.5 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 4)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 4 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in Second Step, the net integrated power applied to the slurry was changed to 1.50 kWh/kg, and in Third Step, the diameter of the zirconia beads was changed to 0.05 mm, and the dispersion time was changed to 130 minutes. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 4 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 109 nm, D₉₀ of 162 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.5 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 5)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 5 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in Second Step, the net integrated power applied to the slurry was changed to 0.50 kWh/kg, and in Third Step, the diameter of the zirconia beads was changed to 0.2 mm, and the type of the bead mill was changed to a multiple path type. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 5 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 145 nm, D₉₀ of 360 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.5 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 6)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 6 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in Second Step, the net integrated power applied to the slurry was changed to 1.00 kWh/kg, and in Third Step, the diameter of the zirconia beads was changed to 0.05 mm. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 6 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 109 nm, D₉₀ of 216 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.0 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 7)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 7 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in Second Step, the net integrated power applied to the slurry was changed to 0.60 kWh/kg, and in Third Step, the diameter of the zirconia beads was changed to 0.2 mm. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 7 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 150 nm, D₉₀ of 295 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.0 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 8)

A portion of 10 parts (solid matter) of a press cake of C.I. Pigment Red 282 was grounded and was treated with an organic solvent in a conventional manner to prepare Pigment B having a primary particle diameter D of 53 nm. Pigment Dispersion Liquid 8 was prepared in the same manner as in Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, the Pigment A used in production of Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 was replaced by the above Pigment B, and in Third Step, the dispersion time was changed to 110 minutes. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 8 contained the pigment of D of 53 nm, D₅₀ of 82 nm, D₉₀ of 165 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.0 at content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 9)

A portion of 10 parts (solid matter) of a press cake of C.I. Pigment Red 282 was grounded and was treated with an organic solvent in a conventional manner to prepare Pigment C containing a primary particle diameter D of 125 nm. Pigment Dispersion Liquid 9 was prepared in the same manner as in Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, the Pigment A was replaced by the above Pigment C, and in Third Step, the dispersion time was changed to 175 minutes. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 9 contained the pigment of D of 125 nm, D₅₀ of 137 nm, D₉₀ of 212 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.5 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 10)

A portion of 10 parts (solid matter) of a press cake of C.I. Pigment Red 282 was grounded and was treated with an organic solvent in a conventional manner to prepare Pigment D having a primary particle diameter D of 135 nm. Pigment Dispersion Liquid 10 was prepared in the same manner as in Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, the Pigment A was replaced by the above Pigment D, and in Third Step, the dispersion time was changed to 190 minutes. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 10 contained the pigment of D of 135 nm, D₅₀ of 145 nm, D₉₀ of 246 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.7 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 11)

A portion of 10 parts (solid matter) of a press cake of C.I. Pigment Red 282 was grounded and was treated with an organic solvent in a conventional manner to prepare Pigment E having a primary particle diameter D of 45 nm. Pigment Dispersion Liquid 11 was prepared in the same manner as in Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, the Pigment A was replaced by the above Pigment E, and in Third Step, the dispersion time was changed to 100 minutes. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 11 contained the pigment of D of 45 nm, D₅₀ of 73 nm, D₉₀ of 146 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.0 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 12)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 12 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that Polymer A in First Step was replaced by Polymer B mentioned below, and the dispersion time in Third Step was changed to 110 minutes. This Polymer B was prepared by polymerizing 40 parts of styrene, 52.3 parts of n-butyl acrylate and 7.7 parts of methacrylic acid in a conventional manner to obtain a random copolymer having an acid value of 50 mgKOH/g and a weight-average molecular weight of 8,800, and neutralizing this polymer with an equivalent amount of an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 12 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 120 nm, D₉₀ of 226 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.9 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 13)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 13 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that Polymer A in First Step was replaced by Polymer C mentioned below, and the dispersion time in Third Step was changed to 100 minutes. This Polymer C was prepared by polymerizing 40 parts of styrene, 17 parts of n-butyl acrylate and 43 parts of methacrylic acid in a conventional manner to obtain a random copolymer having an acid value of 280 mgKOH/g and a weight-average molecular weight of 9,100, and neutralizing this copolymer with an equivalent amount of an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 13 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 108 nm, D₉₀ of 194 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.8 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 14)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 14 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that Polymer A in First Step was replaced by Polymer D mentioned below, and the dispersion time in Third Step was changed to 100 minutes. This Polymer D was prepared by polymerizing 40 parts of styrene, 15 parts of n-butyl acrylate, 25 parts of methacrylic acid, and 20 parts of polyethylene glycol monomethacrylate in a conventional manner to obtain a random copolymer having an acid value of 160 mgKOH/g and a weight-average molecular weight of 8,600, and neutralizing this copolymer with an equivalent amount of an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 14 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 112 nm, D₉₀ of 212 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.9 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 15)

A slurry was prepared through First Step by use of Polymer E mentioned below in place of Polymer A, the slurry having viscosity of 300 mPa·s. Then through Second Step, with this slurry, preliminary dispersion liquid was obtained which had a viscosity of 300 mPa·s. Further Pigment Dispersion Liquid 15 was obtained through Third Step in the same manner as in Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that the dispersion time was changed to 110 minutes. The above-mentioned Polymer E was prepared by polymerizing 40 parts of styrene, 53.1 parts of n-butyl acrylate, and 6.9 parts of methacrylic acid, in a conventional manner to obtain a random copolymer having an acid value of 45 mgKOH/g and a weight-average molecular weight of 8,600, and neutralizing this copolymer with an equivalent amount of an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 15 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 145 nm, D₉₀ of 293 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.0 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 16)

A slurry was prepared through First Step by use of Polymer F mentioned below in place of Polymer A, the slurry having viscosity of 180 mPa·s. Then through Second Step, with this slurry, preliminary dispersion liquid was obtained which had a viscosity of 90 mPa·s. Further Pigment Dispersion Liquid 16 was obtained through Third Step in the same manner as in Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that the dispersion time was changed to 100 minutes. The above-mentioned Polymer F was prepared by polymerizing 40 parts of styrene, 11.6 parts of n-butyl acrylate, and 48.4 parts of methacrylic acid, in a conventional manner to obtain a random copolymer having an acid value of 315 mgKOH/g and a weight-average molecular weight of 9,200, and neutralizing this copolymer with an equivalent amount of an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 16 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 115 nm, D₉₀ of 173 nm, D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.5 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 15.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 17)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 17 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, a slurry having a viscosity of 150 mPa·s was prepared by use of 54 parts of Polymer A, 180 parts of Pigment A, and 366 parts of ion-exchanged water, and in Second Step, a preliminary dispersion liquid having a viscosity of 80 mPa·s was prepared by use of the slurry. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 17 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 128 nm, D₉₀ of 250 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.0 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 9.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 18)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 18 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, a slurry having a viscosity of 250 mPa·s was prepared by use of 270 parts of Polymer A, 90 parts of Pigment A, and 240 parts of ion-exchanged water, and in Second Step, a preliminary dispersion liquid having a viscosity of 150 mPa·s was prepared by use of this slurry. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 18 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 118 nm, D₉₀ of 190 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.6 at a content of 15.0%, and the polymer at a content of 45.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 19)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 19 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, a slurry having a viscosity of 280 mPa·s was prepared by use of 315 parts of Polymer A, 90 parts of Pigment A, and 195 parts of ion-exchanged water, and in Second Step, a preliminary dispersion liquid having a viscosity of 160 mPa·s was prepared by use of this slurry. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 19 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 132 nm, D₉₀ of 243 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.8 at a content of 15.0%, and the polymer at a content of 52.5%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 20)

The pigment modified as described below was used. Pigment A which had been modified by 4-aminobenzoic acid was further modified by bonding thereto a copolymer of styrene/n-butyl-acrylate/methacrylic-acid synthesized in a conventional method and having an aminophenyl group as an end group. More specifically, 200 parts of Pigment A modified by 4-aminobenzoic acid and 1,000 parts of an aqueous 5% solution of the above bonding polymer were kept at 55° C. in a reactor and stirred at a rotation speed of 300 rpm for 20 minutes. Then 30 parts of 25% sodium nitrite solution was added dropwize thereto in 15 minutes, and thereto 100 parts of ion-exchanged water was added. The mixture was further allowed to react at 60° C. for 2 hours. The pH of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 10 to 11 by addition of an aqueous 1.0N potassium hydroxide solution with stirring. Therefrom modified Pigment A having two kinds of atomic groups bonded chemically thereto was obtained by desalting, purification, and coarse particle removal of the above reaction mixture. Pigment dispersion Liquid 20 was obtained in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that the modified Pigment A was used without using the polymer under the conditions shown in Table 1. In Table 1, the mixed amount in Pigment Dispersion Liquid 20 denotes the amount of the polymer bonded to 100 parts of the pigment. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 20 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 115 nm, D₉₀ of 217 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 1.9 at a content of 10.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 21)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 21 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, a slurry having a viscosity of 110 mPa·s was prepared by use of 9 parts of Polymer A, 180 parts of Pigment A, and 411 parts of ion-exchanged water, and in Second Step, a preliminary dispersion liquid having a viscosity of 55 mPa·s was prepared from the slurry. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 21 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 140 nm, D₉₀ of 278 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.0 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 3.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 22)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 22 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, a slurry having a viscosity of 100 mPa·s was prepared from 8.64 parts of Polymer A, 180 parts of Pigment A, and 411.36 parts of ion-exchanged water, and in Second Step, a preliminary dispersion liquid having a viscosity of mPa·s was prepared from the slurry. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 22 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 140 nm, D₉₀ of 293 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.1 at a content of 30.0%, and the polymer at a content of 2.9%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 23)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 23 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that, in First Step, a slurry having a viscosity of 200 mPa·s was prepared from 30 parts of Polymer A, 60 parts of Pigment A, and 510 parts of ion-exchanged water, and in Second Step, the net integrated power was changed to 0.30 kWh/kg to obtain a preliminary dispersion liquid having a viscosity of 10 mPa·s from the slurry, and further in Third Step, the dispersion was conducted by a multiple type of bead mill with zirconia beads of 0.2 mm diameter. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 23 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 155 nm, D₉₀ of 377 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.4 at a content of 10.0%, and the polymer at a content of 5.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 24)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 24 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 23 except that the diameter of the zirconia beads used in Third Step was changed to 0.1 mm. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 24 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 115 nm, D₉₀ of 308 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.7 at a content of 10.0%, and the polymer at a content of 5.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 25)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 25 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 23 except that the net integrated power applied to the slurry in Second Step was changed to 1.50 kWh/kg, and the diameter of the zirconia beads used in Third Step was changed to 0.05 mm. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 25 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 98 nm, D₉₀ of 194 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 2.0 at a content of 10.0%, and the polymer at a content of 5.0%.

(Pigment Dispersion Liquid 26)

Pigment Dispersion Liquid 26 was prepared in the same manner as Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 except that the operation of Third Step was not conducted. The resulting Pigment Dispersion Liquid 26 contained the pigment of D of 110 nm, D₅₀ of 300 nm, D₉₀ of 1,000 nm, and D₉₀/D₅₀ of 3.3 at a content of 10.0%, and the polymer at a content of 5.0%.

Table 1 shows collectively the constitutions of the pigment dispersion liquids and the processes of the production thereof. Incidentally some of the water-soluble organic solvents and components of the additives in the ink can change the particle diameter of the dispersed pigment, but actually the change is negligible. Therefore, the dimensions of D, D₅₀, and D₉₀ of the pigment particles in ink were the same as those in the pigment dispersion liquid.

TABLE 1 Preparation Conditions Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pigment Kind of Pigment A A A A A A A Polymer kind of Polymer A A A A A A A Acid Value [mgKOH/g] 195 195 195 195 195 195 195 Wt-av. Molecular Weght 9,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 Mixed Amount (*1) 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 Dispersion Viscosity in Step 1 [mPa · s] 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 Conditions Dispersion Apparatus in Step 2 CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM Viscosity in Step 2 [mPa · s] 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Integrated Power in Step 2 0.75 0.75 0.75 1.50 0.50 1.00 0.60 [kWh/kg] Operation Mode in Step 2 circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn Dispersion Apparatus in Step 3 BM BM BM BM BM BM BM Operation Mode in Step 3 circltn circltn circltn circltn pass circltn circltn Medium Diameter in Step 3 0.1 0.2 0.05 0.05 0.2 0.05 0.2 [mm] Properties Primary Particle Diameter D 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 of [nm] Pigment D₅₀ [a · snm] 112 148 110 109 145 109 150 D₉₀ [a · snm] 194 220 273 162 360 216 295 D₉₀/D₅₀ 1.7 1.5 2.5 1.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pigment Kind of Pigment B C D E A A Polymer kind of Polymer A A A A B C Acid Value [mgKOH/g] 195 195 195 195 50 280 Wt-av. Molecular Weght 9,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 8,800 9,100 Mixed Amount (*1) 50 50 50 50 50 50 Dispersion Viscosity in Step 1 [mPa · s] 200 200 200 200 200 200 Conditions Dispersion Apparatus in Step 2 CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM Viscosity in Step 2 [mPa · s] 100 100 100 100 100 100 Integrated Power in Step 2 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 [kWh/kg] Operation Mode in Step 2 circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn Dispersion Apparatus in Step 3 BM BM BM BM BM BM Operation Mode in Step 3 circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn Medium Diameter in Step 3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 [mm] Properties Primary Particle Diameter D 53 125 135 45 110 110 of [nm] Pigment D₅₀ [a · snm] 82 137 145 73 120 108 D₉₀ [a · snm] 165 212 246 146 226 194 D₉₀/D₅₀ 2.0 1.5 1.7 2.0 1.9 1.8 (*1) Parts of the polymer per 100 parts of the pigment circltn: circulation Pigment Dispersion Liquid 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pigment Kind of Pigment A A A A A A Modified A Polymer Kind of Polymer D E F A A A Polymer- bonded Acid Value [mgKOH/g] 160 45 315 195 195 195 — Wt-av. Molecular Weght 8,600 8,600 9,200 9,000 9,000 9,000 — Mixed Amount (*1) 50 50 50 30 300 350 25 Dispersion Viscosity in Step 1 [mPa · s] 200 300 180 150 250 280 100 Conditions Dispersion Apparatus in Step 2 CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM Viscosity in Step 2 [mPa · s] 100 130 90 80 150 160 80 Integrated Power in Step 2 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 [kWh/kg] Operation Mode in Step 2 circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn Dispersion Apparatus in Step 3 BM BM BM BM BM BM BM Operation Mode in Step 3 circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn Medium Diameter in Step 3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 [mm] Properties Primary Particle Diameter D 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 of [nm] Pigment D₅₀ [a · snm] 112 145 115 128 118 132 115 D₉₀ [a · snm] 212 293 173 250 190 243 217 D₉₀/D₅₀ 1.9 2.0 1.5 2.0 1.6 1.8 1.9 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 21 22 23 24 25 26 Pigment Kind of Pigment A A A A A A Polymer Kind of Polymer A A A A A A Acid Value [mgKOH/g] 195 195 195 195 195 195 Wt-av. Molecular Weght 9,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 9,000 Mixed Amount (*1) 5 4.8 50 50 50 50 Dispersion Viscosity in Step 1 [mPa · s] 110 100 200 200 200 200 Conditions Dispersion Apparatus in Step 2 CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM CLM Viscosity in Step 2 [mPa · s] 55 50 10 10 10 100 Integrated Power in Step 2 0.75 0.75 0.30 0.30 1.50 0.75 [kWh/kg] Operation Mode in Step 2 circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn circltn Dispersion Apparatus in Step 3 BM BM BM BM BM — Operation Mode in Step 3 circltn circltn pass pass pass — Medium Diameter in Step 3 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.05 — [mm] Properties Primary Particle Diameter D 110 110 110 110 110 110 of [nm] Pigment D₅₀ [a · snm] 140 140 155 115 98 300 D₉₀ [a · snm] 278 293 377 308 194 1000 D₉₀/D₅₀ 2.0 2.1 2.4 2.7 2.0 3.3 (*1) Parts of the resin per 100 parts of the pigment circltn: circulation

<Preparation of Ink>

The ink was prepared by mixing sufficiently the pigment dispersion liquid and the components shown in Table 2, and pressure-filtering the mixture through a micro-filter (Fuji Film Co.) having a pore size of 1.0 μm.

TABLE 2 Composition of Ink (Unit of upper columns: %) Examples 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 2 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 3 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 4 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 5 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 6 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 7 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 8 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 9 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 10 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 11 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 12 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 13 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 14 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 15 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 16 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 17 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 18 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 19 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 20 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 21 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 22 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 23 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 24 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 25 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 26 Glycerin 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2-Pyrrolidone 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Polyethylene Glycol (*1) 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 Acethylenol E100 (*2) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 Ion-Exchanged Water 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 Pigment Content [%] 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 Polymer Content [%] 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Pigment/Polymer Ratio (*3} 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 Examples 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 2 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 3 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 4 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 5 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 6 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 8 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 9 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 10 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 11 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 12 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 13 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 14 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 15 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 16 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 17 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 18 13.0 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 19 13.0 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 20 20.0 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 21 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 22 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 23 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 24 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 25 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 26 Glycerin 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2-Pyrrolidone 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Polyethylene Glycol (*1) 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 Acethylenol E100 (*2) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 Ion-Exchanged Water 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 77.5 77.5 70.5 Pigment Content [%] 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 Polymer Content [%] 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.6 6.0 7.0 — Pigment/Polymer Ratio (*3) 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.3 0.33 0.29 — Examples Comparative Examples 21 22 1 2 3 4 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 1 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 2 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 3 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 4 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 5 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 6 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 8 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 9 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 10 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 11 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 12 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 13 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 14 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 15 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 16 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 17 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 18 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 19 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 20 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 21 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 22 6.7 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 23 20.0 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 24 20.0 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 25 20.0 Pigment Dispersion Liquid 26 6.7 Glycerin 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2-Pyrrolidone 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Polyethylene Glycol (*1) 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 Acethylenol E100 (*2) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 Ion-Exchanged Water 83.8 83.8 70.5 70.5 70.5 83.8 Pigment Content [%] 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 Polymer Content [%] 0.2 0.19 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Pigment/Polymer Ratio (*3} 10.0 10.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 (*1) Average Molecular weight 1,000 (*2) Surfactant (Kawaken Fine Chemical Co.) (*3) Pigment Content/Polymer Content

<Evaluation>

The ink obtained as above was filled in an ink cartridge. The cartridge was mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus BJ-F900 (Canon K.K.) which ejects ink by action of thermal energy. With this ink jet recording apparatus, recording was conducted with solid print portions at recording duties of from 10% to 200% by steps of 10% on a glossy recording medium (Super-photo-paper SP-101: Canon K.K.). The printer driver mode was selected to be in a photo paper pro mode. The setting of the photo paper pro mode was a below:

Kind of paper: Photo Paper Pro

Printing quality: Fine

Color adjustment: Automatic

(Storage Stability)

The ink was enclosed tightly in a Shot bottle, and was stored in an oven at 60° C. for 2 weeks. The viscosities before and after the storage were measured with an E-type viscometer (RE80L: Toyo Seiki K.K.). The storage stability was evaluated by the percentage change of the viscosity by the storage in view the evaluation standards below. Table 3 shows the evaluation results. In the present invention, the stability of Level B or more is considered to be acceptable. Level A is excellent, and Level C is not acceptable.

A: The viscosity change is less than 15%

B: The viscosity change is 15% or more to less than 30%

C: The viscosity change is 30% or more

(Chroma)

One day after the recording, the chroma of a magenta image was measured with a tester Spectrolino (Gretag Macbeth Co.) for the evaluation. The chroma can be derived by the equation:

c*={(a*)²+(b*)²}^(1/2)

The chroma was evaluated by the evaluation standard below. Table 3 shows the evaluation results. In the present invention, with the evaluation standard below, Level B or more is acceptable, Level A is excellent, Level AA is especially excellent, and Level C is not acceptable.

AA: c* is 84 or more

A: c* is 82 or more to less than 84

B: c* is 80 or more to less than 82

C: c* is less than 80

(Glossiness)

The glossiness level (20° gloss) of the recorded matter was measured with a microhazemater (BYK Gardner Co.). The glossiness level of the recorded matter was evaluated by the average of the glossiness level of the images formed at the prescribed duty levels. Table 3 shows the evaluation results. In the present invention, with the evaluation standard below, Level B or more is acceptable, Level A is excellent, Level AA is especially excellent, and Level C is not acceptable.

AA: The glossiness level (20° gloss) is 60 or more

A: The glossiness level (20° gloss) is 50 or more to less than 60

B: The glossiness level (20° gloss) is 40 or more to less than 50

C: The glossiness level (20° gloss) is less than 40

TABLE 3 Evaluation Results Storage Stability Chroma Glossiness Examples 1 A AA A 2 A A AA 3 A A B 4 A AA AA 5 A B B 6 A A A 7 A A A 8 B AA A 9 A A A 10 A B A 11 B A A 12 B AA AA 13 A A AA 14 A A A 15 B A A 16 B A AA 17 A AA A 18 A AA A 19 A A A 20 A A A 21 A A B 22 B A B Comparative 1 B C C Examples 2 B C C 3 C A A 4 C C C

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-024615, filed Feb. 5, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 

1. An ink comprising a pigment, wherein the pigment comprises C.I. Pigment Red 282, and a primary particle diameter D (nm) of the pigment and a 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment satisfy a relation of D×0.95≦D₅₀≦150, and a 90%-cumulative diameter D₉₀ (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment and the 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) satisfy a relation of 1.5≦D₉₀/D₅₀≦2.5.
 2. The ink according to claim 1, wherein the diameter D (nm) is 50 nm or more to 130 nm or less.
 3. The ink according to claim 1, wherein the 90%-cumulative diameter D₉₀ (nm) and the 50%-cumulative diameter D₅₀ (nm) satisfy a relation of 1.5≦D₉₀/D₅₀≦2.0.
 4. The ink according to claim 1, wherein the ink further comprises a polymer, the polymer having an acid value of 50 mgKOH/g or more to 300 mgKOH/g or less.
 5. The ink according to claim 4, wherein the polymer has a nonionic unit.
 6. The ink according to claim 4, wherein a content (mass %) of the pigment with respect to the total mass of the ink is 0.30 times or more to 10.0 times or less a content (mass %) of the polymer with respect to the total mass of the ink.
 7. The ink according to claim 1, wherein the pigment has a polymer bonded to the surface of the particles of the pigment.
 8. An ink jet recording method comprising ejecting an ink by an ink jet system to perform recording on a recording medium, wherein the ink according to claim 1 is used as the ink.
 9. An ink cartridge having an ink storage portion for storing an ink, wherein the ink is the ink according to claim
 1. 10. An ink jet recording apparatus having an ink storage portion for storing an ink and a recording head for ejecting the ink, wherein the ink according to claim 1 is used as the ink. 